Ritobrita Chakraborty, PhD
Ritobrita holds a PhD in biochemistry and is currently employed as a postdoctoral researcher in the Chemistry Department at the University of Pennsylvania. Originally from Kolkata, India, she studies the molecular underpinnings of neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. She is also the priestess at Philadelphia Sharanya Inc.’s festivities and is among a handful of women in the world performing Vedic rites as a Purohit in the Hindu community.
Shiuli in Pennsylvania: A Woman at the Altar
At a Durga Puja in Philadelphia, a woman steps to the altar where trad